Manama – A high court in Bahrain adjourned the trial of Isa Qassim and two of his deputies which was closed on June 14, 2016 in the case of illegal fundraising and money laundering by the Islamic Awareness Society. The case was postponed to January 30.
Bahraini authorities that investigated several local societies accused of money laundering and illegal fund-raising acts had frozen Qassim’s bank account. He has been charged along with two other suspects of “illegal fundraising, money laundering and financial transactions to conceal their source and add legitimacy to them.”
Earlier, the court requested the Central Bank of Bahrain a report on Qassim’s financial activities, which revealed he had four bank accounts in Future Bank, formerly known as Bank Melli Iran.
The amount of money deposited summed up to around $14 million in four different accounts in Iranian banks, while the withdrawal from those accounts reached $6.6 million, according to the report of the Central Bank.
The Central Bank also proved that the remained amounts were about $8.857 million.
Hussein al-Qassam, another felon in the same case, was accused of withdrawing money of the amount $1.5 million from Isa Qassim’s four accounts.
In July 2016, Bahraini authorities revoked Qassim’s citizenship, while the Public Prosecution investigated into the methods of raising money, determining its sources, and how it was spent.
“The religious figure succeeded in sending a large amount from the funds raised to Iran and Iraq in breach of the rules for financial remittance and disclosure. These amounts were received by foreign entities and organizations hostile to Bahrain,” said the prosecution at the time.